People with a common chronic rhinosinusitis may be more likely to develop depression and anxiety, a Korean study has found.

Researchers focused on sinus disorder with symptoms that last for at least 12 weeks, examining 16,224 South Korean patients from 2002 to 2013.

None of them had a history of depression or anxiety.

According to the study published in JAMA Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, patients with chronic sinusitis were over 50 percent more likely to develop depression or anxiety.

“Despite receiving optimal medical and surgical treatment, some patients with chronic rhinosinusitis have repeated, persistent symptoms, which make this condition challenging to manage,” said senior study author Dr. Dong-Kyu Kim of Hallym University College of Medicine in Chuncheon, South Korea.

Compared to people who don't suffer from sinus issues, chronic rhinosinusitis patients were found 41 percent more likely to develop depression and 45 percent more likely to develop anxiety.

"It’s possible that inflammation in rhinosinusitis leads to the release of certain neurotransmitters - chemicals that affect brain function - that may combine with genetics and other factors to cause psychiatric issues," Reuters quoted Dr. Edward McCoul, director of rhinology and sinus surgery at the Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans, Louisiana, as saying.

“But . . . chronic rhinosinusitis is a condition that is often unrecognized by the person who has it - they think they’re just having recurring sinus infections - and so, seeking competent care, preferably from an otolaryngologist, could lead to sooner diagnosis and control of the condition," he stressed.